1\)((    QiJr5(^ 


OF 


Septie 

5otj|-Jr(^atm^pt 


■t 


MAUD 

BALLINGTON 

BOOTH 


tihmvy  of  t:he  theological  ^eminarjp 

PRINCETON  .  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


BV  4012  .B59  1892 

Booth,  Maud  Ballington,  136= 

-1948. 
The  curse  of  septic  soul- 


v^'* 


■-'^^^^ 


% 


.'AL 


THE   CURSE 


OF 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT 


BY 


Maud  Ballington   Booth 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


NEW  YORK 

30  Union  Square  E. 


CHICAGO 

148  &  150  Madison  St. 


Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1892, 

By  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 
In  the  oifice  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


THE   CURSE   OF 
SEPTIC    SOUL-TREATMENT. 


The  Curse  of  Septic 
Soul-Treatment. 


"  It  cannot  now  be  successfully  denied  that  the  sur- 
geon's acts  determine  the  fate  of  a  fresh  wound,  and  that 
its  infection  and  suppuration  are  due  to  his  technical  faults 
of  omission  or  commission." 

*'  On  taking  charge  of  a  fresh  wound,  the  fearful  and 
often  irremediable  consequences  of  a  first  false  step  should 
be  always  present  to  the  mind  of  the  surgeon,  and  his  at- 
tention should  be  directed  chiefly  to  the  avoidance  of 
septic  infection." 

"It  is  a  great  mistake,  paid  for  by  the  loss  of  limbs  and 
lives,  to  believe  that  the  mastery  of  practical  cleanliness,  or 
asepticism,  can  be  acquired  without  a  clear  comprehen- 
sion of  the  principles,  and  without  earnest  and  severe 
training  in  the  handicraft  of  asepticism. 

"The  wholesome  truth,  that  failure  of  achieving  pri- 
mary union  in  fresh  wounds  is  mainly  and  almost  always 

[5] 


THE  CURSE  OF 


due  to  one's  own  lack  of  knowledge  and  skill,  and  that 
these  attributes  can  be  secured  only  by  the  exercise  of 
great  diligence,  should  be  constantly  present  to  our  minds. 
Failures  are  bitter  lessons,  but  their  honest  study  will  in- 
evitably bring  to  light  the  causative  deficiences,  and  will 
teach  us  to  avoid  them."  Gerster. 

With  the  changing  of  a  few  words,  the 
foregoing  remarks  can  be  read  with  profit, 
and  applied  to  the  experience  of  those  who 
have  accepted  the  mission  of  spiritual  phy- 
sicians for  dealing  with  the  souls  of  men. 

That  the  treatment  of  souls  is  no  easy 
or  light  task,  but  one  that  needs  Divine 
wisdom  and  untold  care,  is  apparent  when 
we  consider  that  things  spiritual  are  far 
more  vital  and  momentous  than  things 
corporeal,  and  that  it  is  easier  to  combat 
tangible  and  visible  difficulties  than  those 
things  which  are  unseen  and  immaterial. 
The  disastrous  effects  of  injudicious  and 
bungling  efforts  can  be  seen  around  us 
plentifully,  and  daily  souls  are  making 
shipwreck   through  conflicting   lights  that 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT. 


lure  them  on  to  the  sand  banks  or  rock 
reefs  of  despair,  though  with  the  avowed 
intention  and  desire  of  guiding  them  safe 
to  the  harbour. 

The  Surgeon  voices  a  truth  to  which 
every  honest  heart  should  say  Amen  in 
those  closing  words:  ^^ Failures  are  bitter 
lessons^  but  their  honest  study  zvill  inevit- 
ably bring  to  light  the  causative  deficiencies, 
and  will  teach  us  to  avoid  thevir 

Realizing  the  great  and  important  re- 
sponsibility that  rests  upon  the  dealer  with 
souls,  and  accepting  the  truth  that  "  the 
fearful  and  often  irremediable  consequences 
of  a  first  false  step  should  be  always  pres- 
ent in  our  minds,"  let  us  honestly  view  the 
subject,  asking  wherein  the  dangers  lie, 
and  how  we  can  best  avoid  or  remedy 
them. 

Have  you  your  diploma  .^  is  a  question 
we  should  ask  of  all  who  step  forth  to 
this  work  ;  for  in  this,  as  in  all  other  re- 


Tim  CURSE  OF 


sponsible  matters,  it  is  utterly  useless  to 
attempt  work  unless  qualified.  The  man 
who  dares  to  practice  surgery  or  prescribe 
medicine  without  being  thoroughly  author- 
ised and  qualified  for  so  doing,  is  not  only 
liable  to  punishment  by  law,  but,  even  if 
not  detected  and  so  punished,  is  pretty 
sure  to  make  a  bungle  of  his  work,  and  by 
fatal  errors  prove  his  unfitness  and  igno- 
rance. I  truly  believe  there  are  many  just 
in  this  relation  to  the  great  spiritual  field 
of  operation.  I  do  not  mean  that  they 
are  practicing  without  a  man-given  degree, 
or  the  laying  on  of  hands,  or  theological 
training,  or  correct  adherence  to  creed  and 
ritual.  These  are  but  minor  considera- 
tions, for  the  great  vital  issue  is  —  Are  they 
called,  commissioned,  and  qualified  of  God? 

If  not,  they  can  be  but  blind  leaders  of 
the  blind. 

No  one  has  a  right  to  deliver  a  message 
unless  the  message  is  given  them  of  God  ; 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


to  go  on  a  mission  unless  sent  by  Him,  or 
to  attempt  work  that  is  chosen  and  cut  out 
by  themselves  irrespective  of  His  will  and 
commands.  Those  who  have  not  received 
a  baptism  of  His  Spirit,  who  do  not  possess 
His  heavenly  seal  upon  their  diploma,  had 
better  step  back,  for,  for  them  to  tamper  and 
meddle  with  the  spiritual  welfare  of  others, 
will  only  mean  failure  to  themselves,  and 
disaster  and  ruin  to  the  patients  they  try 
to  help. 

Over  and  over  again  have  I  heard  from 
the  lips  of  those  who  long  to  be  used  in 
God's  service,  the  bitter  regret  that  they 
lack  the  power  and  ability  to  be  successful, 
and  that  they  never  seem  able  to  efficiently 
help  the  poor  groping  soul  out  of  darkness 
into  light. 

*'  I  do  not  know  what  to  say  when  I 
kneel  at  the  sinner's  side.  I  feel  perfectly 
helpless,  and  can  only  mourn  over  my 
lack  of  knowledge."     This  I  have  repeat- 


10  THE  CURSE  OF 

edly  heard  them  say,  but  I  am  confident 
that  it  need  never  be  the  case. 

When  God  commissioned  his  prophets  of 
old,  he  always  gave  them  something  defi- 
nite to  say,  and  their  success  depended 
greatly  on  their  delivering  it  correctly, 
and  not  improving  or  detracting  from  it  to 
suit  their  own  ideas.  We  find  that  when 
sent  by  him  and  obeying  his  instructions, 
they  were  always  efficient.  Why  should 
this  state  of  things  be  changed  to-day } 
God  is  the  same,  and  if  we  have  confidence 
that  our  commission  is  of  Him,  we  have 
the  right  to  claim  His  Divine  wisdom. 
That  it  does  need  wisdom,  and  that  we 
must  learn  of  Him  how  to  do  the  work,  is 
undeniable  ;  but  He  has  promised  special 
guidance  to  those  who  obey  the  leadings  of 
His  Spirit,  however  weak  they  may  feel  in 
their  own  strength. 

There  is  another  fact  that  we  cannot 
emphasize    too   strongly,  namely,   that  he 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT.  1 1 

who  would  heal  others,  must  himself  be 
proof  against  infection,  that  those  who  are 
to  be  dealt  with  may  not  have  it  in  their 
power  to  say,  *'  Physician,  heal  thyself" 
While  strong  with  that  strength  that  comes 
with  purity  of  heart  and  soul,  we  can  go  to 
the  sinner's  help  and  deal  hand  to  hand 
with  his  doubts,  his  sins,  his  uncleanness, 
fearlessly,  and  come  out  unscathed  and 
uncontaminated.  But  if  there  is  unsound- 
ness—  however  small  —  in  our  own  hearts  ; 
doubts  as  to  the  truths  we  are  speaking  to 
him  ;  or,  hidden  away  some  known  sin 
which  has  not  been  surrendered  ;  we  are 
unfit  for  our  woi 

Strikingly  was  this  thought  illustrated 
by  a  misfortune  that  overtook  a  friend  of 
mine  in  his  surgical  work.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  making  his  hands  aseptically 
clean  before  an  operation,  when  a  bristle 
of  the  brush  he  was  using  punctured  his 
thumb    just    below   the    nail.     It   was   so 


t2  THE  CURSE  OF 

slight  and  apparently  Insignificant  an  in- 
jury that  he  took  no  notice  of  it,  and  al- 
most forgot  its  existence  as  he  proceeded 
to  operate.  The  case  happened  to  be  a 
septically  infectious  one  —  tuberculosis. 
That  evening  he  felt  pain  and  throbbing 
at  the  point  where  the  skin  had  been  in- 
jured. The  next  day  spreading  acute 
inflammation  set  in,  and  it  was  evident  that 
septic  matter  had  entered  through  that 
minute  puncture.  What  was  the  result .'' 
Firstj  pain,  loss  of  sleep,  and  endless 
anxiety  and  misery  to  the  sufferer.  Sec- 
ondy  what  was  even  worse  and  more  trying 
to  him,  inability  to  use  his  hand,  which 
meant  for  weeks  the  necessary  abandon- 
ment of  operative  work. 

Now,  it  seemed  to  me,  as  I  listened 
to  the  history  of  this  septic  infection  — 
the  poisoning  of  the  blood  —  that  I  heard 
also  the  history  of  misfortune  to  many  a 
once   useful   soul    saviour.     The   little   un- 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT.  13 

guarded  sore  spot,  the  apparently  insignifi- 
cant inconsistency,  the  small  beginning  of 
what  proves  to  be  the  door  of  admittance 
to  soul-poison  —  sin  —  what  is  the  result  in 
the  spiritual  analogy  ?  Pain,  remorse,  and 
sorrow  —  yes,  and  even  backsliding  of  soul ! 
It  also  means  inability  to  undertake  God's 
work  —  the  abandonment  of  the  divine 
mission  to  which  they  have  been  appointed 
by  Him.  Worse  still,  it  often  results  in 
casting  stumbling  blocks  in  the  road  of 
those  who  should  have  been  helped  up- 
ward, and  thus  furnishes  them  with  an  ex- 
cuse for  their  hurrying  downward  steps. 
My  friend  quickly  and  effectively  brought 
his  knowledge  of  the  power  of  antiseptics 
to  bear  upon  the  infected  wound  ;  and  after 
free  incision  and  persistent  irrigation  with 
antiseptic  fluids,  and  the  greatest  care,  he 
managed  to  stop  the  spread  of  the  trouble 
at  the  first  joint,  thus  saving  his  hand  and 
arm,  and    possibly  his  life.     But  in  many 


14 


THE  CURSE  OF 


cases,  as  slight  an  injury  as  this  has  been 
the  beginning  of  trouble  that  has  not 
stopped  until  it  has  resulted  fatally.  A 
pin  prick,  a  scratch,  the  tearing  of  a  nail, 
has  often  proved  the  commencement  of 
that  which  has  ended  in  the  poisoning  of 
the  whole  system.  As  for  the  surgeon,  the 
very  smallest  wound  upon  the  hand  makes 
it  unsafe  to  deal  with  a  case  which  is 
infected  by  pyogenic  germs.  In  the  soul, 
many  a  time  has  poison  entered  through 
some  small  and  unheeded  door,  which  has 
been  considered  utterly  insignificant  ;  yet 
the  entrance  has  ^-esulted  in  eternal  ruin. 
It  is  therefore  but  the  sound  —  the  whole- 
souled —  the  one  made  and  kept  pure  hy 
God,  who  can  do  the  work  effectually  anl 
without  danger. 

There  are  many  who  say  that  the  sin- 
polluted  should  be  avoided  for  fear  of  con- 
tamination, who  tremble  at  the  thought  of 
entering   dens   of  infamy    to    rescue  their 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


15 


victims,  and  who  seem  to  think  that  the 
only  way  to  remain  unstained  in  soul  is  to 
keep  apart  in  the  company  of  the  elect, 
and  **  in  the  congregation  of  the  right- 
eous." But  if  our  religion  is  worth  aught 
to  us,  it  must  be  of  the  kind  that  can  sur- 
round us  with  a  wall  of  fire,  which  will 
burn  and  destroy  the  septic  germs  ere 
they  can  assail  our  soul.  And  of  what 
possible  good  can  we  be  in  fulfilling  Christ's 
mission  of  seeking  and  saving  the  lost,  if 
we  confine  ourselves  merely  to  the  ninety 
and  nine  in  the  fold  } 

Christ  himself  shows  us  how  we  can  deal 
with  sin  and  yet  be  ourselves  pure  by  His 
life  of  constant  contact  with  the  infected, 
and  yet  of  spotless  purity. 

Perhaps  one  other  case  in  point  may 
make  the  analogy  plainer.  The  loathsome 
disease  of  leprosy  in  Palestine  is  not  infec- 
tious in  one  sense,  while  in  another  it  is  so  : 
the  safety  or  danger  depends  entirely  upon 


1 6  THE  CURSE  OE 

the  condition  of  the  one  touching  or  asso- 
ciating with  the  leper.  With  impunity  you 
can  do  so  if  you  yourself  are  whole  and 
healthy.  But  should  you  have  upon  your 
hand  a  sore,  however  small,  or  even  a 
scratch,  through  which  the  ''bacillus  leprae  " 
can  enter,  you  would  yourself  become  in- 
fected with  that  dread  disease.  The  moral 
and  spiritual  leper,  however  foul  and  vile,  can 
be  approached  and  successfully  dealt  with 
by  the  one  who  has  a  pure  strong  hand 
and  God-filled  heart,  but  let  him  who  is  not 
sure  of  his  own  state  beware  lest  he  him- 
self become  contaminated,  and  a  source  of 
danger  to  others.  Sin  is  very  deadly,  very 
easy  to  contract,  and  very  disastrous  in 
its  far-reaching  results. 

Elsewhere  I  have  spoken  of  the  need  of 
purity  of  heart  and  hand  in  the  anti- 
septic Christian's  life  work  ;  but  the  anal- 
ogy was  again  forcibly  brought  home  to 
me  at  a  word  dropped  by  a  surgeon  in  the 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


17 


Operating  room.  I  had  not  seen  him  for 
months,  and  on  entering  the  room  while 
he  was  making  his  hands  aseptically 
clean,  we  exchanged  greetings.  He  said, 
turning  to  me,  '*  Excuse  me,  but  your  hand 
is  unclean."  I  knew  what  he  meant. 
Should  he  have  shaken  hands  with  me, 
he  dare  not  operate  on  the  patient  await- 
ing him,  for,  surgically  speaking,  I  was 
unclean  ;  and  it  would  mean  to  him,  the 
labor  of  again  preparing  himself  for  his 
work.  So  there  are  many  hands  stretched 
out  to  help  God  with  His  mission,  to  whom 
He  must  say,  "No,  I  cannot  use  you.  You 
are  unclean  !  "  And,  alas  !  some  of  those 
that  were  clean  and  ready  for  use,  have 
become  contaminated  by  shaking  hands 
with  the  world,  touching  *'  the  unclean 
thing,"  and,  remember !  but  one  touch 
will  disqualify  for  service.  If,  however,  we 
have  been  ourselves  thoroughly  cleansed 
and  prepared  for  active  service  —  as  Anti- 


1 8  THE  CURSE  OF 

septic  Christians,  we  must  see  the  crying 
need  of  employing  at  once  the  most  direct, 
radical,  and  effective  measures  to  check 
the  awful  devastations  of  septicism  in  the 
hearts    and    lives    of  others. 

In  these  pages  I  desire  to  speak  chiefly 
of  the  technique  of  dealing  with  the  soul 
that  has  already  been  aroused  to  a  se7ise  of 
its  danger,  the  one  that  is  anxiously  look- 
ing for  cure  after  having  received  the  ar- 
row of  divine  conviction  and  having  been 
shown  by  the  light  of  God  its  wretched 
state  in  the  present  and  its  danger  for  the 
future.  It  is  at  this  point  that  the  greatest 
importance  must  be  attached  to  the  words, 
actions,  and  advice  of  the  one  who  steps 
forward  as  spiritual  helper. 

In  the  competent  dealing  with  any  dis- 
ease and  the  checking  of  its  ravages,  one 
•of  the  first  steps  is  to  make  a  correct  diag- 

No  over-estimate  can  be  made  of  the 
importance  of  care  in  this   respect.     The 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT.  19 

surgeon  who  lances,  cuts,  or  lays  bare 
the  tissues  without  having  watched  or  com- 
pared symptoms,  sounded,  examined,  and 
applied  necessary  tests  to  satisfy  his  own 
mind  as  to  the  complaint  and  the  stage 
to  which  it  has  advanced,  would  be  con- 
sidered dangerous  and  untrustworthy  by 
his  surgical  colleagues ;  and  woe  be  to 
the  luckless  patients  who  intrusted  their 
lives  to  him  !  Now,  for  what  reason  all 
these  precautions  should  be  utterly  for- 
gotten, or  thought  unnecessary,  by  God's 
workers  over  the  poor  broken  hearts  and 
wounded  souls  of  men,  I  do  not  know ! 
Why  not  be  as  practical  ?  The  analogy 
seems  to  me  to  demand  it !  The  physi- 
cian who  should  give  one  and  the  same 
remedy  for  all  symptoms  and  ills,  or  the 
surgeon  who  made  it  a  practice  to  perform 
a  capital  operation  on  all  who  came  to 
him,  regardless  of  the  indications  of  the 
different  cases,  would  rightly  be  consid- 
ered a  quack  and  a  fraud.     On  the  spirit- 


THE  CURSE  OF 


ual  operating-  table,  over  and  over  have  I 
seen  this  done  with  the  most  disastrous 
effects,  and  done  with  apparent  innocence, 
as  if  it  was  quite  a  natural  proceeding. 
The  line  of  argument  for  this  most  danger- 
ous practice  seems  to  be  the  following : 
"  Why,  all  sinners  are  sick  with  the  dis- 
ease of  sin  ;  there  is  but  one  remedy  ;  so 
you  must  apply  it,  and  leave  the  rest  to 
God."  The  fact  that  nine  tenths  of  all  the 
complications  met  with  in  surgery  are  of 
micro-organic  origin  would  not  in  any  way 
justify  a  laxity  in  diagnosis,  or  the  use  of 
but  one  treatment.  The  knowledge  that 
there  are  many  different  species  of  noxious 
bacteria,  and  that  each  species  produces 
entirely  different  effects,  and  can  only  be 
grappled  with  through  a  knowledge  of  its 
nature  and  action,  and  a  careful  adoption 
of  the  most  successful  of  the  many  known 
treatments,  if  anything,  makes  the  surgeon 
more  watchful  and  cautious  in  making  his 
diagnosis.     So  in   soul  sickness,  the  cause 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT.  21 

may  be  sin,  but  the  different  multiple 
forms  of  sin  call  for  a  most  careful  indi- 
cation. 

You  kneel  beside  a  man  whose  ears  are 
open  to  your  words  of  advice,  and  whose 
heart  is  anxious  to  catch  youf  message, 
much  as  a  drowning  man  is  ready  to  clutch 
the  rope  thrown  to  him. 

How  do  you  know  what  to  say  to  him  .-* 
How  do  you  know  what  he  needs  .-*  What 
will  have  the  right  effect  .'*  What  will  help 
him  over  the  dividing  line  between  his 
sinful  past  and  his  possibly  bright  and  use- 
ful future  } 

"Quote  Scripture,  that  surely  must  b^ 
right."  No,  not  at  all.  Sometimes  thr7t 
might  be  quite  as  harmful  as  your  own 
misguided  remarks.  How  do  you  know 
what  verse  will  apply  to  his  need  and  en- 
lighten his  eyes  t 

"Why,  trust  to  the  guidance  of  God-' 
pray  to  be  led,  and  then  you  cannot  ga 
wrong."     Praying    to    be    led  is    certainly 


2  2  THE  CURSE  OF 

right,  but  God  also  wants  us  to  be  led 
through  the  heart  and  brains  he  has 
given  us. 

The  surgeon  who  prayed  to  be  led  to 
the  right  instrument  and  then,  shutting  his 
eyes,  seized  one  at  hap-hazard  and  immedi- 
ately commenced  to  operate  with  it,  would 
be  defying  Providence.  Whereas  he  might 
with  profit  use  his  knowledge,  former  ex- 
perience, and  common  sense  in  choosing 
an  instrument  and  then  pray  to  God  that 
it  might  do  the  work  well  and  successfully. 
Though  in  things  spiritual  the  literal  ap- 
plication of  this  last  statement  must  be 
modified,  there  still  remains  the  truth 
shown  forth  by  it  that  the  Christian  worker 
must  watch  as  well  as  pray,  must  use  in 
the  execution  of  his  work  every  faculty 
and  power,  every  symptom  manifested  by 
the  soul  he  seeks  to  bless,  and  every  mem- 
ory of  past  experience  (either  in  his  own 
life  or  in  those  he  has  formerly  helped), 
that  will  enable  him  to  do  the  work  well 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT.  2  3 

and  successfully.  To  this  end  our  first 
care  should  be  to  make  clear  to  our  own 
mind  the  state  of  the  seeker  with  whom  we 
deal.  In  other  words  we  should  use  the 
probe  ;  we  should  examine,  test,  and  try 
his  spiritual  condition.  The  chief  cause  of 
trouble  in  the  hidden  depths  of  one  soul 
may  be  a  dark  crime  unconfessed,  with 
another  an  indomitable  will  that  will  not 
bow  to  God's  purposes,  or  a  violent  un- 
governable temper.  Then  there  are  other 
things,  such  as  the  worship  of  idols  ;  the 
idol  of  gold,  of  worldly  fame,  of  selfish 
indulgence,  or  of  any  one  unreined  or 
unlawful  passion  and  sometimes  the  all- 
absorbing  worship  of  self.  Again  there  is 
doubt  arising  from  infidel  notions,  and 
in  hearts  blighted  by  it  will  be  found 
the  inability  to  exercise  that  long-neg- 
lected, and  now  almost  paralyzed  talent, 
faith! 

Who  dares  to  assert  that  all  these  differ- 
ev>t  phases  of  the  question,  all  these  causes 


24  TllE  CURSE  OF 

of  trouble  should  be  treated  in  the  same 
manner  indiscriminately  ? 

It  is  quite  true  that  there  is  only  one 
remedy,  but  there  are  many  ways  of  open- 
ing the  soul  to  it,  and  many  ways  of  lead- 
ing the  sinner  up  to  the  point  where  it  can 
be  applied. 

This  preparatory  dealing  with  the  soul 
must  be  done  in  the  way  suited  to  the 
special  case  in  point,  just  as  in  the  extir- 
pation of  the  noxious  microbes  that  have 
infected  some  wound  there  are  many  differ- 
ent modes  of  treatment,  though  they  are 
all  means  to  the  same  end,  viz.,  the  abso- 
lute eradication  of  these  minute  causes  of 
inflammation  and  suppuration.  Sometimes 
the  evacuation  of  an  abscess  and  irrigation 
with  antiseptic  fluid  is  successful,  at  other 
times  the  whole  infected  tissue  must  be  cut 
away,  or  possibly  a  joint  or  bone  exsected 
and  sacrificed  to  check  the  spread  of  the 
disease. 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


25 


Now  with  the  soul  the  giving  up  and  ex- 
traction of  sin  is  the  point  to  be  aimed  at, 
and  the  thorough  cleansing  of  the  soul  by 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  which  is  the 
great  antiseptic  of  the  spiritual  world,  that 
the  sinner  may  become  a  redeemed  child 
of  God,  and  be  every  whit  made  whole. 
But  sometimes  to  this  end,  in  the  words  of 
Scripture,  there  has  to  be  a  plucking  out 
of  the  right  eye  and  the  cutting  off  of  a 
right  hand.  Who  dares  offer  to  the  soul 
unconditional  pardon  when  such  conditions 
have  not  been  complied  with,  and  the  idol 
is  still  clung  to,  or  the  sore  spot  is  still  cov- 
ered }  Surely  this  must  show  us  clearly 
that  each  soul,  with  its  own  special  trouble 
and  peculiar  need,  has  to  be  dealt  with  in 
the  way  best  suited  to  bring  it  to  the  de- 
sired end. 

I  think  just  here  I  cannot  do  better  than 
mention  the  curse  of  one  mode  of  septic 
soul-treatment   which     has   long    been   in 


26  THE  CURSE  OF 

vogue,  and  which  I  fear  has  been  the  cause 
of  more  misleading-  of  souls,  and  salving 
over  of  spiritual  wounds  **with  untempered 
mortar,"  than  any  other  disregard  of  the 
laws  of  soul  asepticism  that  I  could  men- 
tion. 

It  is  the  application  indiscriminately  to 
all  of  the  "  only  believe  "  remedy.  The 
word  "  believe  "  can  only  be  safely  uttered 
to  the  soul  which  is  in  a  fit  state  to  ex- 
ercise saving  faith,  and  when  offered  to  the 
unprepared  heart  as  the  "one  thing  needful " 
it  becomes  a  curse,  a  misleading  fallacy, 
the  planting  of  a  new  source  of  trouble  in 
the  already  diseased  soul. 

O  that  soul  physicians  would  beware 
of  this  dangerous  treatment !  Let  us  just 
look  at  its  results  for  a  moment.  Suppos- 
ing that  at  the  close  of  a  stirring  and 
touching  meeting,  a  man  with  softened 
heart  and  troubled  conscience  comes  for- 
ward and  kneels  at  the  penitent  form.     I 


SEP  TIC  SOUL-  TREA  TMENT.  2  7 

kneel  down  beside  him,  listen  to  his  sobs 
and  groans,  and  then  say,  ''What  do  you 
want,  my  friend  ?  "  ''  I  want  to  be  saved. 
I  want  to  know  I  am  right.  I  feel  wretch- 
edly unhappy."  Unseen  by  me,  there  is  a 
spot  hidden  away  in  that  soul  upon  which 
God's  finger  rests.  A  dark  corner  into 
which  God's  light  has  been  shed,  and  the 
newly  quickened  conscience  has  whispered 
to  him,  revealing  the  sin  of  an  unlaw- 
ful business  in  which  he  injures  his  fellow- 
men  and  defies  the  laws  of  God.  Well,  I 
lean  over  him  and  open  my  Bible,  and  say, 
"  Do  not  distress  yourself,  my  friend.  Do 
not  despair.  You  have  come  to  God,  and 
He  can  save  you  just  now.  Do  you  be- 
lieve this  verse.'*"  Then  I  point  him  to 
the  words,  **  God  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  son  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life,"  and  then  add, 
*'Do  you  believe  that.''"     The  man,  whose 


28  THE  CURSE  OF 

difficulty  may  never  have  been  doubt,  and 
whose  quickened  conscience  may  believe 
only  too  keenly,  will  answer,  "  Yes,  yes,  I 
believe  it,"  and  I  again  say, — 

"  Well,  do  you  believe  God  can  save 
you  f  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Do  you  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  ?  " 

Another  affirmative. 

*'  Well,  dear  friend,  that  is  all.  It  is  quite 
simple.      Cast  yourself  on  Him  and  trust." 

And  supposing  the  poor  fellow,  now 
thoroughly  befogged  by  my  illogical  talk, 
and  the  utter  want  of  harmony  between 
my  soothing  words  and  his  accusing  con- 
science, mutters,  "I  will  trust,"  and  I  imme- 
diately congratulate  him  upon  his  "  new 
found  joy,"  and  call  for  the  rejoicing  of  all 
present  over  this  soul  born  again.  What 
an  empty  farce  it  would  be  ! 

Were  I  thus  to  deal  with  the  soul,  I 
should  be  indeed  the  worst  friend  of  that 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT.  29 

poor  sinner,  and  should  be  doing  the  Dev- 
il's work  in  the  guise  of  a  servant  of  God. 

God  help  me,  and  God  help  the  poor 
deluded  wretch  into  whose  soul  had  been 
inoculated  by  my  words  this  septic  doc- 
trine. Why,  the  second  state  of  that  soul 
would  indeed  be  worse  than  the  first ! 

Such  treatment  would  probably  have  one 
of  the  following  effects  upon  him  :  First, 
the  man  might  go  away  and  live  a  hypo- 
crite's life,  hiding  wrong  and  stifling  con- 
science, saying,  **  All  is  well,"  while  beneath 
all  would  be  wrong,  and  the  God  of  Justice 
still  unappeased. 

Secondly,  he  might  see  through  the  ab- 
surd fallacy  of  my  irrational  treatment, 
and,  not  having  found  what  he  wanted, 
might  disbelieve  in  the  whole  plan  of  Sal- 
vation, and,  throwing  the  whole  thing  up 
as  utterly  unsatisfactory,  he  might  trample 
on  his  conscience  and  plunge  into  infidelity, 
stigmatizing  all  religion  as  humbug. 


30 


THE  CURSE  OF 


Or  else,  he  might  be  so  impregnated 
with  this  septic  doctrine  that  he  would 
really  bring  himself  to  believe  in  it,  and, 
blinding  his  truer  instincts  of  right  and 
wrong,  live  in  delusion,  building  upon  a 
sandy  foundation,  and  thinking  himself 
safe,  until  overtaken  by  the  great  storm, 
which  would  prove  the  utter  inefficiency  of 
the  rotten  foundation  upon  which  he  staked 
his  hopes  of  eternal  life. 

Now  in  either  case,  as  the  one  who  "had 
undertaken  the  charge  of  this  fresh  wound," 
I  should  be  sadly  to  blame  for  the  perhaps 
fatal  consequences  of  this  ''first  false  step." 

This  supposed  case  that  I  have  drawn 
up,  in  many  instances  finds  its  real  coun- 
terpart, and  demonstrates  clearly  the  folly 
and  danger  of  injudicious  soul-treatment. 

Alas  that  this  should  not  be  the  quoting 
of  possible  danger,  but  the  detailing  of  a 
course  of  action  that  is  being  used  to-day 
in  a  very  widespread  fashion. 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT. 


31 


I  have  myself  repeatedly  seen  and  heard 
penitents  thus  dealt  with.  There  are  pul- 
pits and  platforms  from  which  this  salve 
for  the  guilty  conscience  is  dealt  out  whole- 
sale ;  and  many  an  "  inquiry  room,"  where 
it  is  applied  personally  to  the  soul  wounds 
of  those  there  dealt  with.  Books  and  tracts 
bearing  this  perversion  of  God's  truth  are 
being  daily  placed  in  the  hands  of  men  and 
women  who  want  to  know  the  real  straight, 
plain  way  of  Salvation — the  wJiole  truth, 
and  not  half  of  it. 

Often  after  spiritual  meetings  do  I  go 
here  and  there  among  a  row  of  seeking 
souls,  and  tremble  as  I  see  some  well  inten- 
tioned  persons  rise  from  the  body  of  the 
Hall  and  advance  toward  them  ;  and  then, 
as  I  listen  to  these  quoting  scripture,  or 
pointing  to  the  Bible  (often  checking  and 
hindering  the  work  of  the  Spirit),  I  realize 
how  responsible  each  one  of  us  must  be  for 
every  soul  that  comes  beneath  our  care. 


32 


THE  CURSE  OF 


To  use  a  surgical  analogy,  this  treatment 
may  be  compared  to  the  work  of  a  surgeon 
who  should  stitch  up,  and  bandage,  and 
endeavor  to  heal  a  wound  full  of  impurity 
and  infection,  which,  beneath  the  surface, 
would  become  a  very  hotbed  of  septicaemia, 
and  the  ultimate  cause  of  death. 

My  denunciation  of  the  ''only  believe" 
sepsis  may,  I  am  aware,  cause  some  one  at 
once  to  take  exception  to  my  words,  and 
say,  "  Well,  does  not  Christ  Himself  send 
this  message  to  the  sinner  ?  Are  we  not 
right  in  showing  His  own  words  to  the 
seeking  soul  ?  Christ  says,  '  I  am  the  way, 
the  truth,  and  the  life  ;  he  that  believeth 
on  me  shall  have  everlasting  life.'" 

This  verse  must  rightly  be  very  precious 
to  each  of  us,  yet  we  have  no  right  to 
misquote  it  to  the  man  whose  feet  are  not 
following  and  has  not  decided  to  follow 
"  THE  WAY,"  who  has  not  forsaken  his  own 
way,  and  who  will  not  be  obedient  to  "  THE 


SEPTIC  SOUL- TREA TMENT. 


ZZ 


TRUTH,"  having  still  in  his  heart  the  vipers 
that  would  sting  **  THE  LIFE"  to  death. 

We  cannot  do  better  than  ask  ourselves 
the  question,  How  did  Christ  deal  with 
souls  ?  and  we  soon  find  that  He  went 
straight  to  the  root  of  the  matter,  and 
never  salved  over  or  excused.  In  fact  He 
Himself  made  very  little  of  believing  and 
very  much  oi  action  ;  despising  love  which 
did  not  produce  its  works  and  results. 
James  and  John  believed,  but  their  belief 
would  have  meant  condemnation  and  curse 
to  them,  had  they  not  obeyed  and  forsaken 
all,  and  followed  Him. 

Many  others  could  be  quoted,  but  I  will 
turn  to  Christ's  dealing  with  a  soul  that 
shrunk  from  the  knife.  The  young  Ruler 
came  to  him  with  the  very  question  that 
hundreds  to-day  ask  of  us.  Christ  said  not 
a  word  of  faith  or  belief  First,  he  pointed 
him  to  the  obeying  and  fulfilling  of  God's 
known  law,  and  then  laid  his  finger  on  the 
3 


34  THE  CURSE  OF 

weak  spot,  which  showed  that  surrender 
was  necessary  before  he  could  become 
heir  to  the  kingdom.  Christ  had  looked 
on  him  and  loved  him  and  his  heart  was 
far  more  pitying  and  tender  and  compas- 
sionate than  ours.  If  such  a  thing  had 
been  possible,  logical,  or  right,  how  much 
easier  and  pleasanter  would  it  have  been 
for  Jesus  to  say,  '*  Believe  in  me,  and  thou 
shalt  have  life,  that  is  all  thou  needest  to 
do."  Christ,  the  heart  reader,  saw  that  the 
young  man  had  not  come  to  the  point 
where  these  words  could  be  safely  uttered, 
and  to  answer  him  thus  would  have  been 
theperverting  and  reversing  of  His  own  plan 
of  Salvation.  In  dealing  with  anxious  souls 
we  have  no  right  to  give  them  the  last 
message  first.  It  is  not  ours  to  wrest  com- 
forting passages  from  their  connections, 
and  apply  them  at  our  pleasure  to  those 
unprepared  to  receive  them,  and  so  cause 
them  to  become  lies  and  contradictions  of 


SEPTIC  SOUL- TREA TMENT.  35 

the  eternal  truth.  Of  those  who  thus 
lazily  or  ignorantl)-'  deal  with  souls,  soothe 
over  and  make  easy  the  way  of  Salvation, 
it  could  be  truly  said,  ''THEY  DO  CHANGE 
THE  TRUTH  OF  GOD  INTO  A  LIE  !  " 

It  would  be  better  to  point  the  sinner, 
who  is  trying  to  work  up  faith  enough  to 
still  and  smother  an  accusing  conscience, 
to  such  verses  as  these,  '*  Thou  believest 
there  is  one  God  ;  thou  doest  well.  The 
devils  also  believe  and  tremble.  But  wilt 
thou  know,  O  vain  man,  that  faith  without 
works  is  dead  t  .  .    . 

"What  doth  it  profit  though  a  man  say 
he  hath  faith,  and  hath  not  works }  Can 
faith  save  him  }  .  .  . 

"  Let  every  one  that  nameth  the  name 
of  Christ  depart  from  iniquity ^ 

Leaving  the  Scriptural  side  of  the  case, 
and  the  facts  in  the  lives  of  Christ's  disci- 
ples, which  show  clearly  His  views  on  the 
doctrine  of  faith,  this  remedy  for  the  sin- 


36  THE  CURSE  OF 

sick  soul  is  clearly  and  blatantly  irrational. 
The  surgeon  who  could  expect  violated 
nature  to  do  her  work  of  regeneration  of 
diseased  tissue  while  the  primary  cause  of 
the  trouble  was  still  allowed  to  remain  and 
frustrate  all  her  efforts,  would  be  nothing 
short  of  a  lunatic.  Yet  in  God's  field  of 
operation  we  are  exhorted  to  hope  that 
God  will  do  His  renovating  work  in  a 
heart  and  life  that  is  only  turned  to  Him 
in  sentimental  belief,  and  still  hugs  within 
it  the  root  and  cause  of  condemnation. 

Never,  never,  can  Christ  do  His  work  in 
the  heart  until  it  is  willing  to  make  the 
necessary  surrender  and  pay  the  price. 
He  will  not  accept  bushels  of  faith,  given 
as  hush  money  by  the  soul  who  holds  back 
the  one  thing  for  which  He  has  asked. 

Faith  in  the  right  place  is  a  blessed 
thing,  and  serves  as  a  swift  wing  on 
which  the  soul  can  rise  to  God.  But  of 
what  use  are  wings  while  the  bird  is  still 
fettered  and  chained  .^     If  we  turn  our  at- 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT.  37 

tention  first  to  the  breaking  of  these  chains, 
we  shall  do  well ;  afterward  we  shall  find 
little  difficulty  in  teaching  the  free  bird  to 
fly.  I  think  if  some  of  those  who,  through 
want  of  thought  or  consideration  or  knowl- 
edge, thus  deal  with  souls,  would  go  back 
in  their  own  minds  to  the  day  of  their  con- 
version, they  would  remember  that  they 
did  not  pass  from  death  unto  life  in  this 
irrational  manner,  and  they  could  not  do 
better,  than  simply  deal  with  others  as 
God  dealt  with  them  on  that  never-to- 
be-forgotten  day.  Should  they,  however, 
on  looking  back,  find  that  no  definite 
change  ever  took  place  in  their  hearts  and 
lives,  and  that,  instead  of  a  knowledge  and 
possession  of  Christ,  they  have  but  a  belief 
and  a  religion  of  sentiment,  they  should  at 
once  settle  the  question  that  they  are  unfit 
to  practice,  having  no  Divine  diploma,  and 
being  utterly  unqualified. 

We  cannot  expect  such  to  know  how  to 
make  a  plain    path  for   those  they  would 


38  THE  CURSE  OF 


lead  to  a  level  to  which  they  have  never 
attained  themselves. 

The  after  consequences  of  this  treatment 
should  be  fully  borne  in  mind,  for  then  it 
will  not  appear  to  us  a  mere  trifling  ques- 
tion of  technique,  but  indeed  a  vital  issue. 
The  poor  soul  who  receives,  or  imagines 
he  receives  Salvation  through  this  quick 
and  easy  "  only  believe"  gate  is  apt  to  lose 
it  as  quickly  when  doubt  assails  his  soul. 
He  has  no  stamina  of  power  to  resist 
temptation.  There  is  already  within  him 
that  which  will  readily  respond  to  the 
attack  from  without,  and  he  will  only  too 
soon  succumb. 

Clear  and  rational  is  the  advice  that 
St.  James  gives  to  souls,  and  if  we  arc 
at  a  lack  to  know  what  to  say  to  them, 
let  us  study  point  by  point  the  following 
tests  :  — 

"Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  He  will  draw 
nigh  to  you.  Cleanse  your  hands,  ye 
sinners,    purify    your    hearts    ye    double- 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


39 


minded.  Be  afflicted,  and  mourn,  and 
weep ;  let  your  laughter  be  turned  to 
mourning,  and  your  joy  to  heaviness. 
Humble  yourselves  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  and  He  shall  lift  you  up."  Let  us 
emphasize  this  to  the  sinner,  somewhat 
as  follows  :  — 

**  Draw  nighr  That  is  willingness  to 
show  anxiety  to  take  the  first  step  ;  the 
prodigal  retracing  his  steps ;  the  care- 
less giving  heed  and  turning  toward  God. 
It  is  backed  by  a  promise,  "  God  will  draw 
nigh  to  you;''  but  you  must  do  your  part 
before  God  can  meet  you  half  way.  He 
cannot  save  you  against  your  will. 

"  Cleanse  your  handsT  You  must  be 
willing  to  let  go  filthy  lucre,  and  the  toys 
and  baubles  of  this  world.  Your  hands 
must  no  more  be  polluted  by  false  gains. 
You  must  make  up  your  mind  to  give  your 
hands  to  God,  for  he  will  have  clean  hands, 
purified  from  all  those  things  which  have 
stained  them. 


40  THE  CURSE  OF 

'^  Purify  your  hearts,  ye  double-minded^ 
You  have  been  holding  back  something, 
like  Ananias  and  Sapphira.  God  sees  it. 
Give  it  up  !  You  have  a  hidden  idol  in 
your  heart,  and  are  inviting  God  to  make 
His  abode  there  in  company  with  it.  Down 
with  the  idol !  Cast  it  out !  God  wants 
a  purified  temple.  There  are  cobwebs  of 
doubt,  woven  by  the  spiders  of  unconfessed 
sin  and  rejected  light.  Sweep  out  the 
spiders  and  webs.  God  cannot  enter  a 
double  heart. 

**  Be  afflicted  and  mourn.  Let  your  laugh- 
ter be  turned  to  viourning,  and  your  joy  to 
heaviness!'  O  sinner,  realize  your  present 
danger,  and  your  wretched  ingratitude  of 
the  past.  You  have  crucified  Christ  in 
your  life  by  your  disregard  of  Him,  your 
self-seeking,  and  your  sins  against  light 
and  knowledge,  as  truly  as  did  the  Jews. 
You  have  thrust  the  thorns  into  His  brow, 
the    nails    into     His    loving    outstretched 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT.  41 

hands.  You  have  broken  His  heart ! 
Weep  over  it !  Realize  it !  See  yourself 
as  you  are.  Verily  this  is  no  light  matter. 
It  is  not  to  be  treated  as  a  mere  choice  of 
paths.  It  is  the  taking  of  the  first  right 
step,  which,  alas,  shows  you  but  too  plainly 
how  many  false  ones  you  have  taken.  Is 
it  nothing  to  you  that  Christ  has  knocked 
and  called  in  vain,  time  and  time  again,  at 
your  close  shut  heart's  door? 

Weep,  you  heedless  one,  and  remember 
your  light,  empty,  careless  life  has  meant 
sorrow  unto  death  to  Him  who  loved  you 
and  gave  Himself  for  you.  "■  Humble  your- 
self in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.''  Go  down  at 
the  foot  of  the  Cross !  Bow  your  stiff 
neck !  Throw  your  pride  to  the  winds ! 
Remember,  God  will  only  save  you  in  His 
way,  not  your  own  way,  and  until  you  say, 
"  Not  my  will  but  Thine,"  He  cannot  do 
the  work.  When  you  bow  down  like  the 
publican,  and  say,  **  God  be  merciful  to  me 


42 


THE  CURSE  OF 


a  sinner,"  when  you  realize  your  own  un- 
worthiness  and  insignificance  God  will 
keep  His  contract  for  this  part  of  the 
work  and  '' lift  you  up?'' 

Now  it  seems  to  me  that  the  soul  thus 
dealt  with,  shown  the  way  of  Salvation  on 
plain  and  definite  lines,  will  be  in  no  dan- 
ger of  fancying  that  the  whole  thing  is  but 
an  easy  painless  declaration  or  acquisition 
of  **  faith,"  but  will  realize  the  importance 
of  the  step,  and  will  see  that  there  are  two 
sides  to  the  covenant,  two  parties  to  the 
transaction. 

The  healing  of  the  ''wound  slightly"  is 
the  more  dangerous,  and  in  the  long  run 
the  more  painful  treatment,  though  at  the 
time  it  may  appear  kind  and  soothing  and 
appeasing  to  the  guilty  conscience  ;  but  the 
withholding  of  the  knife  or  cauterizing 
fire,  the  veiling  of  the  truth,  can  indeed  be 
called  the  truest  cruelty. 

"  It  is  heart  breaking  to  see  the  sinner 
weep."      Is   it  ?      I   always   think   it  is   a 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT.  43 

beautiful  sight.  Anyway  it  is  the  only 
right  and  fitting  thing.  Did  not  Christ 
suffer  agony  and  travail  of  soul  for  him  ? 
Did  not  He  shed  tears  even  unto  blood 
and  give  His  life,  inch  by  inch,  in  the  most 
awful  death  to  redeem  him  ?  Should  the 
sinner  forget  all  this,  and  enter  into  the 
Kingdom  through  a  painless,  easy  gate  ? 

Is  the  surgeon  such  a  fool  as  to  stop  his 
work  because  a  little  blood  is  lost,  or  to 
shrink  from  causing  a  little  suffering  ? 
Sometimes  the  wound  that  bleeds  the 
most  profusely  heals  the  most  easily.  In 
reality  it  is  a  provision  of  nature  that  the 
flowing  blood  should  wash  away  those 
things  which  might  have  infected  the 
wound,  and  hence  a  little  loss  of  blood  often 
makes  the  accidental  wound  aseptic  that 
would  otherwise  have  caused  much  trouble. 
The  old  saying  still  holds  good  that  "  the 
wound  that  bleeds  well  heals  well,"  and  I 
am  sure  I  have  seen  this  true  in  the  spirit- 
ual  analogy.     The   sinner  that   feels   and 


44  THE  CURSE  OF 

suffers  enough  over  his  sin  to  weep  is  far 
more  ready  to  surrender  and  step  out  into 
liberty  than  he  whose  feelings  are  shallow 
and  sorrows  but  on  the  surface. 

This  truth  however  is  not  realized  by  all 
dealers  with  soul  wounds,  and  too  often  is 
the  oil  of  consolation  poured  in  too  soon, 
and  the  whole  work  spoilt  by  the  healing  of 
the  wound  slightly  without  regard  to  the 
principles  involved,  through  misplaced 
sympathy,  and  the  meddling  of  over-anx- 
ious workers  whose  sensitive  nerves  can- 
not bear  the  sight  of  tears  and  sorrow. 

Again  the  soul  who  feels  superficially 
often  only  gets  a  skin  deep  religion.  It  is 
after  a  storm  there  comes  the  sunshine, 
and  after  the  battle  the  victory,  and  the 
old  saying  of  the  Theban  General  holds 
true  in  this  relation  as  well  as  others, 
"  Pax  paritur  bello;'  ''  Peace,"  the  true 
^*  peace"  of  the  soul  **  is  born  of  war  ^ 

God's  order  of  operation  in  soul-treat- 
ment is  as  follows  :  — 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


45 


Conviction  of  sin^  which  engenders  the 
realization  of  the  need  of  Salvation. 

Confession,  when  the  soul  comes  to  the 
point,  "  Lord,  I  have  sinned." 

Repentance,  which,  when  true,  means 
willingness  to  abandon  sin,  and  do  works 
meet  for  repentance. 

Renu7iciationy  which  prompts  the  com- 
plete surrender  of  all,  and  the  giving  of 
life  into  the  hands  of  God  ;  and  then  will 
come  God's  part,  acceptance,  with  the  be- 
stowing of  His  pardon  and  Salvation,  after 
the  washing  away  of  sin  by  the  precious 
blood  of  Christ. 

To  be  truly  successful  in  the  treating  of 
soul  wounds  we  must  bear  these  stages  in 
mind,  and  must  be  careful  never  to  reverse 
their  order,  or  offer  the  last  promises  be- 
fore the  sinner  has  reached  the  ground 
upon  which  they  can  safely  be  offered. 

I  do  not  for  a  moment  mean  to  imply 
that  Salvation  is  a  long  process  or  one  into 
which  one  has  to  grow.     I  most  fully  be- 


46  THE  CURSE  OE 


lieve  in  the  possibility  of  instantaneous 
conversion,  and  have  repeatedly  seen  such 
cases,  and  noted  how  swiftly  God  can  act 
when  the  soul  is  in  the  right  attitude.  His 
part  is  indeed  instantaneous,  but  it  cannot 
be  done  until  the  soul  will  comply  with  the 
required  conditions.  I  have  heard  of  peo- 
ple who  have  been  seeking  Salvation  more 
or  less  for  years  and  years,  and  did  not 
gain  it,  because  there  were  still  conditions 
uncomplied  with,  but  the  instant  they  sur- 
rendered, God  fulfilled  His  promise  to  them. 
The  more  we  insist  on  the  need  of  thorough 
repentance  and  whole-hearted  surrender  be- 
fore the  exercise  of  faith,  the  more  shall  we 
help  to  pave  the  way  to  speedy  and  safe 
healing  of  the  soul.  The  more  personal, 
pointed,  and  straight  with  the  sinner  we 
can  be,  the  better  for  him.  Let  us  not 
hesitate  to  call  the  sinner  by  his  right 
name,  and  help  him  to  see  himself  as  such. 
Sin,  in  all  its  awfulness,  with  all  its  danger 
and  fearful  consequences,  should  be  shown 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT.  47 

up  by  our  words  in  its  true  colors.  The 
need  of  uncovering  hidden  things  and 
making  restitution  for  past  wrongs,  and 
showing  forth  the  true  fruits  of  repentance 
cannot  be  too  forcibly  dwelt  upon. 

Procrastination  is  ever  the  temptation  of 
the  sinner,  even  when  almost  on  mercy's 
threshold,  and  he  will  do  anything  short  of 
the  one  thing  needful  to  appease  his  con- 
science, and  to  put  off  the  taking  of  the 
last  step.  The  terrible  danger  of  delay, 
and  of  waiving  the  point  at  issue,  the  utter 
uselessness  of  trying  to  patch  up  and  im- 
prove the  condition  of  things  with  any- 
thing short  of  God's  Salvation,  must  be 
reiterated  by  us,  until  they  have  no  other 
excuse  but  to  answer,  "  I  know  what  I 
should  do,  but  I  will  not  do  it."  Then, 
and  not  till  then,  our  skirts  will  be  free 
from  their  blood. 

A  noted  surgeon,  in  his  work  on  modern 
surgery,  speaks  very  strongly  of  the  loss 
of  life  and  limb  occasioned  by  the  fallacy 


48  THE  CURSE  OF 

of  trusting  to  topical  treatment,  the  using 
of  poultices  to  soothe,  and  the  vainly- 
trusting  that  their  continued  application 
will  avoid  the  use  of  the  dreaded  knife  or 
lancet.  Such  treatment  in  many  cases 
has  only  served  to  intensify  and  extend  the 
inward  ravages  of  the  disease,  while  the 
deluded  patient  has  comforted  himself  in 
his  suffering  with  the  notion  that  it  was 
doing  the  work  which  he  would  not  yield 
to  the  far  swifter  and  easier  method  of  the 
surgeon's  knife.  Many  a  time  when  such 
a  case  has  been  brought  to  the  surgeon 
the  disease  has  gone  too  far,  and  he  has 
found  it  utterly  hopeless  to  save  the 
patient's  life.  Alas,  in  things  spiritual 
many  an  inward  ill  and  wrong,  many  a 
cause  of  condemnation  has  been  silenced 
and  smothered  beneath  some  plaster  of 
good  works,  the  turning  of  some  new  leaf, 
or  application  to  empty  forms  and  ceremo- 
nies.    Good  intentions  and  even  good  en- 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


49 


deavors  are  often  thus  resorted  to,  while 
all  the  time  the  root  of  the  matter  is  un- 
touched, and  they  serve  only  to  put  the 
conscience  to  sleep,  to  hush  anxiety  and 
soothe  the  wakening-  soul  back  into  leth- 
argy. 

When  the  sinner  thus  procrastinates  and 
goes  away  unsatisfied,  with  the  work  but 
partly  done,  his  wound  too  often  becomes 
infected  with  new  doubts  and  fears,  infidel 
notions,  and  careless  apathy,  which  result 
in  the  degeneration  of  better  aspirations, 
and  the  deadening  of  conscience.  This 
has  the  terrible  result  of  spreading  the 
evil  so  rapidly  through  his  soul,  that  it 
makes  his  case  a  thousand  times  harder  to 
reach  and  deal  with. 

In  every  operation  for  the  removal  of  a 
virulent  subcutaneous  growth,  the  first 
work  is  that  of  dissection,  the  laying  bare 
of  the  diseased  parts,  and  the  second  that  of 
exsection,  or  the  eradication  of  the  growth. 
4 


20  THE  CURSE  OF 


Now,  could  anything  be  conceived  that 
could  be  more  mad  or  foolhardy  than  an  op- 
eration in  which  the  first  half  alone  was  per- 
formed and  the  patient  then  allowed  to  go 
his  way  with  the  disease  still  existant  and 
the  open  wound  liable  to  become  a  hotbed 
of  infection,  inflammation,  and  suppura- 
tion. The  natural  consequence  of  course 
would  be  septicaemia  and  the  patient's 
death  would  lie  at  the  door  of  the  surgeon 
who  could  allow  so  careless  a  piece  of  mad- 
ness. In  the  surgical  world  it  would  be 
impossible  for  such  a  thing  to  happen,  but, 
alas,  alas,  it  occurs  over  and  over  again  in 
soul  therapeutics. 

Therefore,  when  a  sinner  has  come  to 
his  knees,  and  proves  sincerely  anxious  to 
be  saved,  when  his  soul  has  been  deeply 
cut  by  the  knife  of  conviction,  and  God 
has  laid  bare  the  hidden  cause  of  the 
trouble,  we  should  use  our  strongest  influ- 
ence to  show  the  utmost  importance  of  let- 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


51 


ting  the  Spirit  of  God  do  thoroughly  the 
needed  work.  We  should  press  him  not 
to  shrink  back  at  the  suffering  or  sacrifice 
involved  ;  showing  clearly  that  the  Spirit 
had  a  two-fold  work  to  do,  not  only  that  of 
dissection  (the  laying  bare  before  the  light 
of  the  hidden  things  of  the  heart),  but  also 
the  exercising  of  the  power  to  exsect  and 
eradicate  that  which  has  been  revealed,  the 
latter  of  course  depending  entirely  upon 
the  willingness  of  the  soul  operated  upon. 

Many  a  time,  in  cutting  away  a  cancer 
or  tumor,  good  tissue,  that  is  living  tissue, 
not  infected  by  the  disease,  has  to  be  sacri- 
ficed and  cut  away  with  it,  so  as  to  give 
the  malignant  growth  a  wide  berth,  and 
make  the  work  sure  and  thorough. 

Many  people,  while  cutting  out,  or  giving 
up,  some  known  sin,  pointed  out  by  God, 
are  very  careful  to  cut  close  round  it,  draw- 
ing the  line  only  at  that  which  is  palpably 
ivrong,  and  not  doing  away  with  the  doubt- 


52  THE  CURSE  OF 

fill  tJiings,  which  in  their  turn  might  become 
sources  of  condemnation.  The  importance 
of  giving  God  the  advantage  of  all  doubts, 
and  of  running  no  risk  of  danger  and  con- 
demnation, are  points  that  should  evidently 
be  made  clear  by  us  to  the  soul  whose 
future  may  hang  thereon.  Sometimes  we 
hear  it  argued,  '*  Do  not  be  too  hard  on  the 
sinner  at  first.  Deal  with  him  gently,  and 
by  degrees,  and  he  will  come  right  at  last." 
This  in  some  cases  may  succeed,  where  the 
conscience  is  very  tender,  and  the  soul  sees 
without  our  help,  step  by  step,  what  God 
requires,  and  has  the  moral  courage  to 
fight  the  battle  through  unhelpcd.  But  in 
only  too  many  cases  it  proves  a  great  mis- 
take and  the  cause  of  ultimate  disaster. 
Those  who  are  faithfully  dealt  with  at  the 
onset,  when  the  soul  is  tender  and  pliable, 
will  naturally  start  out  into  the  life  of 
Christlikeness,  and  self-sacrifice  pointed 
out  to  them  ere  they  took  the  first  step, 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


53 


while  others  who  were  not  clearly  shown 
what  Christ-following  would  mean  to  them, 
become  staggered  and  overpowered  when 
met  by  the  necessity  of  practically  giving 
up  self-pleasing,  and  living  out  the  surren- 
der they  had  made  in  spirit  and  sentiment 
only.  Show  the  saloon-keeper  that  his  Sal- 
vation will  mean  giving  up  his  business, 
and  hold  out  no  hope  of  his  acceptance 
until  he  has  settled  that  question  with  God. 
Make  it  clear  to  the  worldling  that  he  will 
have  to  sever  his  connection  with  all  that 
is  Godless  and  un-Christlike  in  the  world. 
The  same  line  of  dealing  should  be  taken 
with  every  separate  special  class  of  sinners, 
making  clear  to  one  and  all,  that  religion 
in  the  future  is  to  mean  to  them  no  mere 
change  of  belief,  but  Christlikeness  in  every 
sense  of  the  word. 

It  may  be  said  by  some  that  such  deal- 
ing with  the  soul  on  the  verge  of  surrender 
would  prove  a  discouragement  and  a  check 


54  THE  CURSE  OF 


to  their  zeal.  Possibly  it  may  with  sojne  as 
it  did  with  the  young  man  who  went  away 
sorrowful,  but  if  the  soul  does  not  care 
enough  about  Salvation  to  pay  any  price 
for  it,  and  to  make  a  clear  and  definite 
surrender,  he  does  not  deserve  it,  and  we 
have  no  possible  right  or  excuse  for  foster- 
ing in  him  the  delusion  that  he  can  have  it 
and  settle  up  with  God  at  his  leisure.  He 
who  does  not  count  the  cost  before  the  act 
only  too  often  backs  out  of  paying  the 
price  when  the  testing  hour  comes. 

There  would  be  less  weak-kneed,  faint- 
hearted, lukewarm  following  of  Christ  if 
soul  wounds  were  more  faithfully,  radi- 
cally, and  aseptically  treated  at  the  onset. 

"  For  unto  you  it  is  given,  on  the  behalf 
of  Christ,  not  only  TO  BELIEVE  ON  HIM  but 
also  to  suffer  for  His  sake."  This  verse 
would  indeed  prove  helpful_  to  many  a 
newly  born  soul  as  a  guerdon  from  Christ, 
clearly  defining  the  fact  that  belief  in  Him 


SEPTIC  SO UL-  TREA  TMENT. 


55 


is  but  to  prove  the  Incentive  to  acceptance 
of  His  cross,  without  which  the  Christian 
life  is  a  mere  sentiment  and  paradox. 

The  soul  that  goes  forth  from  the  day 
of  its  new  birth  to  walk  with  Christ,  to 
v/ork  for  Him,  to  publish  His  goodness,  to 
exalt  His  name,  and  to  seek  other  wander- 
ing ones,  will  prove  a  strong  and  healthy 
Christian.  We,  as  advisers  to  souls,  can- 
not be  too  emphatic  in  speaking  to  them 
of  the  Importance  of  setting  to  work  right 
away,  of  taking  the  cross  up  at  once,  and 
not  putting  It  off  until  they  have  grown 
older  and  stronger  upon  the  Christian 
road  ;  for  God  has  promised  that  His  fol- 
lower shall  be  given  strength  to  bear  it, 
and  surely  He  who  knows  our  hearts  would 
never  give  us  a  cross  too  heavy  for  our 
strength,  without  giving  us  a  fresh  supply 
of  strength  with  which  to  meet  it.  Work 
is  a  blessed  safeguard  In  the  hour  of  temp- 
tation.    It  is  fuel  to  the   fire  of  the  soul, 


56 


THE  CURSE  OE 


and  deepens  as  well  as  proves  the  love  of 
the  Christian.  Hundreds  there  are  to-day- 
cold,  half-hearted,  and  indifferent,  who 
have  become  so  largely  from  having  had 
no  practical  vent  for  their  first  love,  and 
having  had  their  ardor  damped  by  being 
told  to  stand  back,  when  impelled  by  new- 
born desire  to  be  up  and  doing  for  their 
Lord.  Let  the  convert  on  his  knees  see 
this  in  the  future  to  which  he  looks  with 
such  bright  expectation.  Tell  him  that 
the  service  of  his  heart  and  life  must  be 
no  sinecure,  no  honorary  service,  but  a 
real  practical  work,  and  that  whether  it  be 
in  the  home,  the  office,  the  workshop, 
the  pew,  or  the  pulpit,  it  matters  not, 
it  must  be  sincere  and  whole-hearted, 
sealed  by  the  right  motive,  love  for 
Christ, 

Though  our  actions  and  services  are  of 
the  greatest  importance,  and  their  faithful 
discharge  a  matter  of  grave  responsibility 


SEPTIC  SOUL-TREATMENT.  57 

in  the  leading  of  souls  from  darkness  to 
light,  let  us  beware  lest  we  foster  that 
spirit  which  says,  "  I  am  of  Paul  ;  and  I  of 
Apollos  ;  and  I  of  Cephas."  The  magni- 
fying of  the  instrument  often  proves  an 
active  agent  in  preparing  the  soil  of  the 
heart  for  the  inroads  of  future  infection, 
and  it  but  too  readily  succumbs  to  the  first 
insidious  attacks  of  pride,  envy,  malice, 
hatred,  and  vainglory,  which,  alas,  engen- 
der strife,  and  drive  away  the  blessed 
peace    of   God. 

Let  us  remember,  and  ever  make  clear 
to  others,  our  relation  to  the  soul,  and  our 
real  part  in  the  operation  that  unites  the 
soul  to  God. 

A  nerve  has  been  severed  by  accident  or 
during  operation  and  has  remained  for 
months  and  perhaps  years  separated  and 
useless,  yet  operative  skill  can  resect  the 
buried  nerve  ends,  and  unite  them  again, 
restoring  the  lost  functions. 


58 


THE  CURSE  OF 


To  this  end,  especially  when  there  has 
been  much  loss  of  substance,  it  is  necessary 
to  interpose  an  aseptic  absorbable  body 
such  as  catgut,  or  decalcified  bone  tube, 
to  serve  as  a  temporary  scaffolding  for  the 
products  of  tissue  proliferation.  Sutured 
to  this  connecting  substance  the  nerve  re- 
unites, using  it  as  a  bridge  over  or  through 
which  a  union  can  take  place.  When  this 
end  is  accomplished  the  bridge  or  scaffold- 
ing is  no  longer  needed  and  disappears  by 
absorption. 

Of  course  it  is  absolutely  indispensable 
that  the  connecting  substance,  be  it  bone, 
or  cat-gut,  or  nerve  tissue,  be  thoroughly 
aseptic^  otherwise  it  would  prove  worse 
than  useless,  not  only  failing  in  its 
mission,  but  itself  proving  a  cause  of  new 
infection. 

This  it  seems  to  me  is  the  relation  of  the 
soul  seeker  to  the  sinner  and  his  Saviour. 
The  poor  soul  has  wandered  far  from  God 


SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMEATT.  5  g 

' — is  lost  —  buried  beneath  numberless  hin- 
dering obstacles.  To  a  great  extent  func- 
tion is  destroyed  ;  power  to  serve  God,  to 
live  right,  to  be  pure  and  good  is  gone  — 
even  feelings,  desires,  and  aspirations  for 
things  Divine,  in  many  cases  are  wanting, 
but  we  believe  that  all  these  functions  of 
the  soul  can  return  if  it  only  be  brought 
near  to  God,  reunited.  Hence  we  are  sent 
out  by  Him  to  seek  out  these  powerless 
ones,  and  thus  to  serve  as  the  antiseptic 
bridge  between  the  hearts  human  and 
Divine. 

When  this  is  accomplished  our  part  is 
done,  and  the  soul  is  in  a  position  in  which, 
being  directly  in  touch  with  God,  it  can 
learn  of  Him  ;  can  feel,  understand,  and 
respond  to  things  spiritual,  which  before 
were  incomprehensible  to  it.  At  this  stage 
the  more  we  can  put  ourselves  out  of  sight, 
and  the  more  the  soul  can  be  made  to  real- 
ize the  need  of  reliance  on  Christ  alone  the 


6o     CURSE  OF  SEPTIC  SO  UL-  TREA  TMENT. 

better  for  its  present  welfare    and    future 
Christ-following. 

Finally  we  are  faced  with  the  fact  that  it 
is  only  a  thoroughly  aseptic  Christian  that 
can  thus  step  back,  leaving  the  place  for 
Christ  first  and  foremost,  while  he  who  is 
himself  septically  contaminated  will  make 
his  presence  only  too  forcibly  felt  as  the 
cause  of  trouble  to  the  poor  groping  soul 
that  has  trusted  to  a  false  and  unreliable 
bridge. 


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By  Rev.  Lyman  Abbott,  D.D. 

1.  Disciples  or  Scholars.  2.  Believers  or  Faithfu 
3.  Followers  or  Soldiers.  4.  Brethren  oi  Members  of  the 
Household.    5     Saints  or  the  Holy. 

XlbC  jFOUr  ^en.      By  Rev.  James  Stalker,  D.  D., 
author  of  ' '  The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ, ' '  etc. 

1.  The  Man  the  World  Sees.  2.  The  Man  Seen  by  the 
Person  Who  Knows  Him  Best.  3.  The  Man  Seen  by  Him- 
self.   4.  The  Man  Whom  God  Sees. 

^be  3Fi0bt  of  ffaitb  anD  tbe  Cost  ot  Cbaracter* 

Talks  to  Young  Men.     By  Rev.  Theodore  L.  Cuy 
ler,  B.D. 

To  those  who  have  not  yet  become  acquainted  with  Dr. 
Cuyler's  original  and  brilliant  productions,  this  booklet  will 
serve  as  an  acceptable  introduction. 

Ibope :  The  Last  Thing  in  the  World.    By  Rev.  A.  T. 

^Pierson,  D.D. 

This  brochure  has  been  prepared  to  complete  the  series  of 
articles  on  "The  Triple  Graces."  to  which  Prof.  Drummond 
and  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon  are  contributors. 

XLbC  ^iX6t  ZbiWQ  in  tbe  "QClOrK) ;  or,  the  Primacy 
of  Faith.     By  Rev.  A.  J.  Gordon,  D.D. 
Dr.  Gordon  has  rescued  us  from  the  danger  of  forgetting 

that  faith  in  Christ  is  the  foundation  of  our  Christian  life." 

—Record  of  Christian  Work. 

XLbc  /Hbcseage  of  Scene  to  /iBen  of  Mealtb.  a 

Tract  for  the  Times.     By  Rev.  George  E.  Herron. 
Introduction  by  Rev.  Josiah  Strong. 

"Mr.  Herron  has  put  the  law  of  Christ  to  all  men, 
whether  with  wealth  or  without  it  —the  law  of  self-sacrific- 
ing love — with  a  clearness  and  cogency,  which  demands  for 
his  paper  this  permanent  form." — Rev.  Lyman  Abbott,  D.D, 

power  from  on  Iblgb:    Bo  You  Need  It,  What  is 
It,  Can  You  Get  It  ?    By  Rev.  B.  Fay  Mills. 

'•  Earnest,  cogent,  bright,  thi.s  brief  discussion  must  appeal 
to  all  classes  of  readers.  The  mark  it  will  make  on  mind 
and  conscience  will  not  soon  fade  away."— i^.  Y.  Evanadisf. 


New  York.      FLEMING  H.  REYELL  CO.         Unicago. 


The  New  Enlarged  and  Authorized  Edition  of  a  Remari<able  Work. 

THK  CHRISTIAN'S 

SECRET  OF  A  HAPPY  LIFE. 


This  Work,  the  demand  for  which 
has  been  so  great  as  to  wear  out  two 
sets  of  plates,  has  now  been  put  in 
entirely  new  form.  The  book  hav- 
ing become  an  accepted  classic  in  de- 
votional literature,  it  was  thought 
wise  to  issue  tliis  new  edition  in  a 
compact  form,  and  in  a  variety  of 
bindings.  Occasion  has  also  been 
taken  by  the  author  to  thoroughly  re- 
vise the  whole  work,  besides  adding 
considerable  nev/  matter. 


Few  Books  of  a  Religious  Ctiaracter  have  been 
accorded  sucti  Hearty  and   Universal  En- 
dorsement from  all  Denominations. 

"  To  commend  this  work  would  seem  almost  superfluous; 
and  yet  to  young  Christians  who  may  not  know  it,  we  can- 
not refrain  from  saying,  Buy  this  book,  and  keep  it  with 
your  Bible  for  constant  study,  until  you  have  thoroughly 
mastered,  in  your  own  experience,  the  *  secret '  of  which  it 
lells.  It  will  transform  the  dark  days  of  your  life,  as  it 
has  transformed  those  of  thousands  before  you,  into  days 
of  heavenly  light." — New  York  Evangelist. 

"  We  have  not  for  years  read  a  book  with  more  delight 
and  profit.  The  author  has  a  rich  experience,  and  tells  it 
in  a  plain  and  delightful  manner." — Christian  Advocate, 

The  "  Handy  Classic  Edition."     l8mo,  292  pages  as  follows  : 
Each  in  separate  box,  gilt  edge,  round  corners,  except  No.  3. 


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or  Wedding  Edition.  1  50 


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«Ew  YOKK. ::  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company  ::  Chicago. 


Works  of  D,  L  MOODY, 


"By  the  strenuous  cultivation  of 
his  gift  Mr.  Moody  has  attained 
to  a  clear  and  incisive  style  which 
preachers  ought  to  study;  and  he 
has  the  merit,  which  many  more 
cultivated  men  lack,  of  sa\ing 
nothing  that  does  not  tend  to  the 
enforcement  of  the  particular 
truth  he  is  enunciating.  He 
knows  how  to  disencumber  his 
text  of  all  extraneous  matter,  and 
exhibits  his  wisdom  as  a  preacher 
hardly  less  by  what  he  leaves  out 
than  by  what  he  includes.  Apart 
from  its  primary  purpose  each  of 
these  books  has  a  distinct  value 
as  a  lesson  on  homiletics  to  min- 
isters and  students." — 

The  Christian  Leader. 


SOVEREIGN  GRACE. 
BIBLE  CHARACTERS. 

PREVAILING  PRAYER;  WHAT  HINDERS  IT.    30th  Thousand. 
TO  THE  WORK!    TO  THE  WORK  !    A  Trumpet  Call.    30th  Thousand. 
THE  WAY  TO  GOD  AND  HOW  TO  FIND  IT.    105th  Thousand. 
HEAVEN;    its  Hope  ;    its  Inhabitants  ;   its  H^ppines'- ,   its  Riches  ;  its 

Reward.     125th  Thousand. 
SECRET  POWER  :    or,  the  Secret  of  Success   in    Christian   Life   and 

^^'ork.     72d  Thousand. 
TWELVE  SELECT  SERMONS.     lC5th  Thousand. 

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DANIEL,  THE  PROPHET.     IGth  Thousand.     Paper  cover,  20c.;  cloth, 
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THE  FULL  ASSURANCE  OF  FAITH.    Tth  Thousand.     Some  thoughts 
on  Christian  confidence.      Paper  cover,  15c.;  cloth,  25c. 

THE  WAY  AND  THE  WORD.     65th  Thousand.     Comprismg  "  Regen- 
eration," and  "  How  to  Study  the  Bible."  Cloth,  25c.;  paper,  15c. 

HOW  TO  STUDY  THE  BIBLE.  45th  Thousand.   Cloth,  15c.;  paper,  10c. 

THE  SECOND  COMING  OF  CHRIST.    46th  Thousand.      Paper,  10c. 

INQUIRY  MEETINGS.     By  Mr.  Moody  and  Alaj.  Whittle.  Paper,  15c. 

GOSPEL  BOOKLETS.     By  D.  L.  Moody.     12  separate  sermons. 

Published  in  small,  square  form,  suitable  for  distribution,  or  inclos- 
ing in  letters.      35  cents  per  dozen,  $2.50  per  hundred.      May  be  had 

assorted  or  of  any  separate  tract. 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 


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aUGGBSTlVJB  BOOKS 

JPOR  BIJSI.JB  RBA.DBRS. 


THE  OPEN  SECRET;  or,  the  Bible  Explaining 
Itself.    By  Hannah  Whitall  Smith. 

That  the  author  of  this  work  has  a  faculty  of  presenting 
the  ' '  Secret  Things "  that  are  revealed  in  the  Word  of 
God,  is  apparent  to  all  who  have  read  the  exceedingly  pop- 
ular work,  "  The  Christian's  Secret  of  a  Happy  Life," 
and  such  will  not  be  disappointed  in  expecting  to  find  in 
this  new  volume  a  fullness  and  sweetness  in  the  unfolding  of 
God's  Word,  in  its  application  to  the  practical  and  daily  du- 
ties of  Christian  living.     i2nio,  320  pages,  cloth,  $1.00. 

BIBLE  BRIEFS ;  or,  Outline  Themes  for  Scrip- 
ture Students.  By  G.  C.  and  E.  A.  Needham.  i6mo, 
224  pages,  cloth,  $1.00. 

"  Here  are  sermons  in  miniature,  which  any  preacher  will  find  it 
profitable  to  expand  into  sermons  in  full  measure.  True  Biblical  out- 
lines are  here ;  not  artificial  '  sketches,'  but  Scripture  frame-works. 
Oh,  that  the  preachers  would  depend  on  such  frame-works,  rather  than 
on  such  Jlre-wor^s  as  many  of  them  attempt  V'—-Jiez'.  A.J,  Gordon^ 
D.  D.y  in   The  Watchword. 

"  Here  you  have  meat  without  bones,  and  land  without  stones,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Needham  will  have  the  gratitude  of  many  a  hard-pressed 
teacher  when  he  is  hard  up  for  a  talk." — Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

BIBLE  HELPS  FOR   BUSY  MEN.     By  A.  C.  P. 

COOTE. 

Contains  over  200  Scripture  subjects,  clearly  worked  out 

and  printed  in  good   legible  type,  with  an  alphabetical 

index.     140  pages,  i6mo,  paper,  30c. ;  cloth,  6oc. 

"  The  topics  are  familiar  in  thought  and  form,  and  are  in  many  cases 
admirably  adapted  for  Bible  readings  and  for  prayer  meetings.  '  Busy 
Men,'  upon  whom  rests  the  responsibility  of  leading  a  meeting  and 
choosing  a  topic,  and  especially  of  conducting  an  evangelistic  meeting', 
will  find  this  little  book  of  decided  value."— r^<r  Golden  Rule. 

*•  Likely  to  be  of  use  to  overworked  brethren."— C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

"  Given  in  a  clear  and  remarkably  telling  ioxxa..^^ ^Christian  Leader. 

cHicAco.    Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  newyoph. 


n 


